The Village Square: September 22, 2016

This weekend I attended the Long Beach Comic Con, which has a small-but-growing tabletop presence. In addition to the usual suspects (Alderac Entertainment Group, Steve Jackson Games, Renegade Game Studios, and Cool Mini Or Not), there were a few recently Kickstarted games and I was able to geek out over The Others: 7 Sins’ fantastic figurines.

Mechs vs Minions
The hype train has been chugging along for Mechs vs. Minions, Riot Games’ (League of Legends) first foray into tabletop games. The company announced that it will arrive October 13th. “In the fiction of Mechs vs. Minions, Runeterra’s diminutive, gnome-like Yordles — Corki, Tristana, Heimerdinger and Ziggs — are all learning to ride and fight on mechs. But, during their first training exercise, something goes wrong and LoL’s minions begin to attack.” Producer Chris Cantrell says the game is “reminiscent of the classic Robo Rally, which uses a similar card-based action system.”Source: http://www.polygon.com/2016/9/19/12949698/league-of-legends-board-game-mechs-vs-minions-launch-date-price

Intriguing
Over on boardgamegeek.com Rio Grande Games posted that the second editions of Dominion and Dominion: Intrigue are shipping to distributors next week. Both feature “new covers and replaced a few cards in each game to make them even more interesting and fun to play.” Owners of the originals will be able to buy upgrade packs containing the new cards. There are updated rules and card text and the extra Base Cards have been removed from Intrigue.Source: https://boardgamegeek.com/article/23764442#23764442

Stranded Conquest
Also affected by Hanjin’s bankruptcy is Atheris Games’ first title, Cul-De-Sac Conquest. After a successful Kickstarter last November backers have received their copies from China, “but the trade print run [is]stuck on the Hanjin ships.” According to ICv2.com, CEO Andrew Birkett said, “For a small company like ours this is a kiss of death. We’re already struggling financially and now this means our loans cannot be paid with the revenue from our game, which we expected to have arrived weeks ago.”Source: http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/35557/hanjin-bankruptcy-strands-shipment-start-ups-game

Pokemon Evolutions
According to purplepawn.com, the final expansion in the Pokemon TCG: XY Series, XY – Evolutions, will be available at Toys R Us on October 30th, Gamestop on October 31st, and other retailers November 2nd. “This expansion has the look and feel of those classic Base Set cards, with updated game logic and stats. Long-time and new Pokémon fans alike can see Pokémon-EX in the Base Set frame, offering a nostalgic twist on these powerful cards.”Source: http://www.purplepawn.com/2016/09/pokemon-tcg-xy-wraps-up-with-evolutions/

Thunderbirds Expansions
The second Thunderbirds expansion, Above & Beyond, is now available from Modiphius Entertainment, reports tabletopgamingnews.com. “This new set features a new rulebook (containing 4 new ways to play the game), 5 new Level 5 Scheme cards, 18 new character cards (which allow you to level up your abilities as you play), 10 new vehicle models and 10 new disaster vehicle cards (giving you new rewards for avoiding disasters), and a sand timer so you can play in ‘Crisis Mode.’”Source: http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/thunderbirds-above-beyond-expansion-now-available/